How to Calm Nerves
by JustKeepWalking
Summary: It's the finale, and Evan is freaking out. Over 3,000 fans are out waiting for him. How will he calm down? Ask Jeanine. So You Think You Can Dance fic, EvanxJeanine friendship


**A.N.: so this is my first fanfic to put on this site, be niiice. i fell in love with evan this season and had to write about him. **

This was it. This was the end. The last night he would dance on stage with these people, his best friends. The night they'd all been waiting for. The finale.

Evan paced back and forth nervously in the wings of the stage, beads of sweat dripping down his temples, making their way down his neck to soak into his shirt. He could hear Kat's voice loud and clear from where she stood at the base of the stage, speaking excitedly to the audience. Evan's heartbeat quickened, if that was possible, as he caught sight of the crowd that listened intently to Kat's every word.

There were more people in the chairs of the theater than he'd ever seen in his life. It seemed like the theater was bursting at the seams, and the Broadway dancer suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He brought a hand to his sweaty face and sighed. His confidence was slowly disappearing, anxiousness taking its place.

Evan turned away from the audience, only to end up face-to-face with his partner for his first dance.

Jeanine's face was bright with excitement, her big brown eyes meeting his steadily. The costume she wore matched his in color, but she wore a tank top and a skirt instead of pants. Her normally flowing black hair was pinned back into a tight bun, making it easier to focus on her face. The grin she originally wore when their gazes met faded as she took in his nervous expression.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, sounding concerned. Evan tilted his head to the side, faking a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he told her, glancing down at his feet.

Jeanine was silent for a moment before nudging him gently with her hand.

"You don't look fine," she replied slowly. "Evan, come on, what's wrong?"

Evan continued to stare at his feet, rocking back on his heels a little. He almost denied anything being wrong again, but with a frown, he looked back up at Jeanine.

"I can't do this!" he exclaimed, taking an enormous step forward to begin pacing again. "There are hundreds, thousands of people out there in those stands, and they all expect something from me that I can't give them!"

He swung his head around to look at Jeanine again. She looked sympathetic, almost worried.

"Ugh, I'm sorry Jeanine," he apologized, ceasing his pacing and standing pathetically in front of her. "I shouldn't be whining to you—" But she cut him off.

"I can't believe you're nervous about this," she told him, her voice thick with disbelief. "Evan, you're _amazing_. You're a Broadway dancer, and no one like you has ever made it this far!"

Evan felt himself blushing at her comment, but he refused to give in.

"But you and Kayla and Brandon, you guys are even _more _amazing, and you can do all of these dances and—"

Jeanine cut him off once again, but this time, not with words.

In mid-sentence, Evan was silenced by Jeanine's lips, bright red with lipstick, pressing against his own. Her hands cupped his face, holding him tightly but gently. His heart skipped a few beats as her perfume filled his nose.

Evan suddenly began to think this was very wrong, that Jeanine, his dance partner, shouldn't be _kissing _him. She was barely eighteen! He brought his hands to her bare shoulders, prepared to push her away, but as her lips moved against his, he felt his stress melting away. His heart was still beating fast, not because of the crowd in the theater, but because of the feeling of Jeanine's body against his.

They stood like this for nearly thirty seconds before a familiar voice came from behind Jeanine.

"Hey now, no pre-show make outs!"

Brandon's muscled figure was suddenly standing at Jeanine's shoulder, a sly smirk playing at his lips as he spoke.

Jeanine tore herself away from Evan, her face as red as her lipstick. Evan scratched his head and raised his shoulders in an innocent shrug. Tucking an imaginary piece of hair behind her ear, Jeanine glanced at Brandon with her mouth open. It seemed like she was trying to speak, but no words made their way out of her mouth. Evan almost said something in defense of their kiss, but Brandon held up his hand.

"No need to speak, just pretend I wasn't here." And with that, he was gone.

Evan watched his friend go, avoiding looking at Jeanine. A stage hand hurried to his side telling him that they were on in almost a minute. He said a quick 'thank you' and listened to Kat's voice as she led up to their performance with excitement. At last, he heard their names called.

"So everyone, please welcome… Evan and Jeanine!"

Both of the dancers took a deep breath and made their way onstage. The music started and they began.

The dance was barely three minutes long, but it felt like a lifetime for Evan.

When, at last, the two hit their final pose, the audience went wild. Taking Jeanine's hand, Evan raised his arms and took a bow. Jeanine did the same, a crazy smile on her face. As the crowd cheered, both dancers stood still in the middle of the stage, panting. Evan ripped his gaze away from the crowd and looked at Jeanine. She turned a second later to meet his gaze.

Quickly, Evan wrapped his hand around her face and planted a kiss on her cheek. The crowd's reaction was a loud "ooh!" Before pulling back, he put his lips to her ear and whispered, "Thank you."

As they both walked off-stage, Evan's cheeks warmed as he saw Jeanine turn red once again.


End file.
